Justice Department sues Kansas school system over policies on transgender students

On September 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against the Kansas City, Kansas school system, alleging violations of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act regarding its policies on transgender students. This action followed a complaint from the Defense of Freedom Institute, which had previously complained about the district's alleged refusal to disclose a student's transgender status to parents without their consent.

Kansas City, Kansas, schools have a policy of using students' preferred names and pronouns, and requests from students not to involve their parents are evaluated individually. The Education Department found the four Kansas districts in violation of the privacy law in April but no specific instances were cited. The school district in Kansas City, Kansas, which serves over 20,000 students, disputed the claim of non-compliance and expressed disappointment with the DOJ's lawsuit filing, stating it wouldn't comment further due to pending litigation.

Several states, including Idaho and Iowa, have enacted laws requiring parental notification when students wish to use different pronouns or names for gender transition. Kansas lacks such legislation. Meanwhile, a lawsuit is ongoing over a California statute that prohibits schools from disclosing students' transgender status.